Machine for sorting statistical cards



MACHINE FOR SORTING STATISTICAL CARDS Filed Jan. 11, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l March 17, 1936, A. THOMAS 2,034,010

MACHINE FOR SORTING STATISTICAL CARDS Filed Jan. 11, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mafch 17, 1936.

MACHINE Filed Jan. 11, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A. THOMAS MACHINE FOR SORTING STATISTICAL CARDS Filed Jan. 11, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 A. THOMAS MACHINE FOR SORTING STATISTICAL CARDS Filed Jan. 11, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR SORTING STATISTICAL CARDS Application January 11, 1933, Serial No. 651,207 In Great Britain February 12, 1932 10 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for sorting statistical cards and more particularly to mechanism for controlling the sorting compartments in such machines.

In card sorting machines the cards are analyzed or read by an analyzing device comprising a number of individual analyzing members arranged in one or more columns, each analyzing member being appropriated to a particular hole position on the card. Thus in the case of a card having twelve hole positions in each column there will be twelve analyzing members in each column in the analyzing device.

Compartments are provided to receive the cards and each compartment is associated with a particular analyzing member which controls it, conveniently by controlling the actuation of a shutter which normally serves to close the entrance to the compartment. When an analyzing member senses or reads a hole in a card, the corresponding shutter is opened thereby permitting the card to enter the compartment.

Since, however, the compartments are situated at varying distances from the analyzing device, it is necessary to provide means for delaying the opening of a compartment for a time equivalent to that taken by a card to reach the compartment from the analyzing device in which it has been sensed for the purpose of determining the particular compartment which is to receive it.

To this end card sorting machines have hitherto been provided with a settable device associated with each compartment to open the shutter there of and mechanism controlled from the associated analyzing member for setting this device. The setting mechanisms were fixed and spaced with relation to their respective shutters by distances proportional to the distance between the analyzing device and the particular compartment concerned.

The settable shutter operating devices were caused to move after being set and the arrangement was such that by the time the settable device had moved from the setting mechanism to the shutter, the card had passed from the analyzing device to the compartment in question and could, therefore, enter the compartment immediately on the opening of the shutter.

Such constructions necessitated each setting device being individually positioned to give the required timing for the shutter operation and consequently when it was required to efiect any repair or replacement of a setting device the original adjustment was disturbed and had to be performed again, thus involving loss of time. In timed sorters of the typeto which this invention relates, a reciprocating piclrer feeds the cards from a stack one at a time at regular intervals, so that the successive cards, after being sensed, are fed along a path above the series of compartments, one card following another, but 5 with a certain definite space between cards. The well known requirements as to timing may be i1- lustrated by the following example. If of three successive cards the first and third go to compartments more remote from the sensing chamber 10 than the second, then the shutter for the second card must not open until the first has safely passed it, it must open in time to deflect the second card, and it must close before the third card reaches it.

In short, each shutter must open and close in the 15 between-card intervals immediately preceding and following the arrival of the respective card at said shutter.

' The present invention has for one of its objects to provide improved timing means for controlling 20 the compartments for sorting machines which will obviate this disadvantage, and to provide a simplified and much cheaper form of mechanism. A particular object of the invention is to provide timing mechanism in which corresponding parts 26 and connections in each of the sets of mechanism of which there is one associated with each sorting compartment, are exactly similar thereby cheapening the cost of production and assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a form of such mechanism which can be easily cut out of operation at will.

According to the present'invention, controlling mechanism for the shutters or other controlling members of a sorting compartment in a statistical 35 card sorting machine comprises a settable shutter operating member carried on a rotatable disc or the like, a setting member preferably adapted to move in the direction of the axis of rotation of the disc to set the shutter operating member, and 40 an intermediate member disposed to transmit movement from the setting member to the settable shutter operating member. The intermediate member comprises a portion passing through the axis of rotation of the disc and also a Second 45 portion having an operating end or nose disposed at a point on the circumference of the disc angularly spaced from the shutter to an extent such that the time taken for the settablemember to move round from the nose of the intermediate 50 member to the shutter is equal to the time taken for the card to pass from the analyzing device to the particular compartment concerned.

Since all the setting members move in the direction of the axis of rotation of their associated 55 discs it is unnecessary to carry out any adjustment of the setting members to a particular position.

Preferably, the intermediate member is carried on a fixed support which is initially set or adjusted to a position which will bring the nose of the intermediate member into the required relation to the shutter, and the connection of the intermediate member to its support is such that the intermediate member can be removed without disturbing the adjustment of the support.

Thus the support may be first adjusted to the desired position and connection subsequently made to the associated sensing element without disturbing the adjustment necessary to secure the proper timing.

One construction according to the'invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 1a illustrate a sorting machine according to the invention in side elevation;

Figures 2 and 2a. illustrate the machine in p Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate thetiming gear in detail, and

Figure 6 shows a modification of the timing gear for dealing with paired cards.

In order-that the invention may be fully understood a brief description of the operation of the machine will now be given.

The cards to be sorted are stacked in a magazine A (Figs. 1 and 2a) from which they are fed by means of a picker B and feed rolls C to the analyzing mechanism indicated generally at D. The analyzing mechanism comprises a column of sensing pins E carried in a frame F which can be set over any column of the card in the usual way. Beneath the pins are disposed the usual perforated plates G of which only the upper one is shown in Fig. 2a. The sensing pins are reciprocated to sense the card by any suitable mecha nism. In the machine illustrated in the drawings, the sensingpin box is of any well known form which may be employed to analyze the cards, such for example as that described in U. S. patent specification of Lasker No. 1,315,370, while the card feeding means may be of theform described in Laskers U. S. patent specification No. 1,298,971.

Each sensing pin E- is connected to means of a Bowden cable I9 to the actuating mechanism of a particular sorting compartment H. In the example shown the-re are twelve sorting compartments H including a reject compartment and eleven corresponding. sensing; pins E; Owing to the limitations of space, however, the machine is shown broken awayin the middle so that all the sorting compartments do not appear.

Each card is sensed'bythe pins E at the same moment in the cycle of the machine, but the time in the cycle at which a card arrives at the compartment destined to receive it will depend on the distance of that compartment from the analyzing mechanism. Consequently, mechanism according to the invention is provided to delay the opening of the compartment until a suitable time just before the card has reached it. The sensing of a card only sets the actuating mechanism for opening the compartment, and the timing. mechanism according to the invention delays the operation of the actuating mechanism until the card has arrived at the compartment concerned. As already mentioned, such delay mechanism is known. and the present invention has for its object to provide an improved form of delay mechanism.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings, the controlling mechanism for one compartment, comprises a pair of discs I and I a, secured to a sleeve 2, rotatably mounted on a spindle 3 fixed in the machine frame 4 and carrying a gear wheel 5, by means of which it is rotated from the main shaft 6 of the machine.

The compartment is provided with a closure member in the form of a shutter 1, secured to a spindle 8 freely mounted in the machine frame 4, and carrying a depending actuating arm 9, of which the lower end is disposed beside the disc I. A spring I!) is provided to maintain the shutter 1 normally closed.

The discs I and Ia carry six settable pins II, equally spaced apart and disposed parallel to the xis of rotation of the discs. These pins are mounted to slide axially in holes disposed opposite to one another in the discs. Each pin has a head I2 formed onit at one end, the heads of the pins projecting outwardly from the disc I adjacent which the depending shutter actuating arm 9 is located. At their opposite ends the pins II terminate in a conical formation, I la (Fig. 5) the apex of the cone preferably constituting an angle of approximately The central portion of each pin lying between the two discs is formed with two grooves IIb and Ho separated by a rib II d, and freely surrounding each pin is a member I3 of double conical form-having its concave surface disposed outwardly. These double conical memberswill be hereinafter referred to for the sake of brevity, as diabolo members. The smallest internal diameter of each diabolo member I3 is larger than the diameter of the pin II by an amount sufficient to permit free movement of the diabolo'member transversely with respect to the pin.

Surrounding all the diabolo members I3 is a bracelet spring I4 which is thus substantially in the form of a circle concentric with the discs.

It will be understood that the diabolo members I3 are V-shaped in cross section and the bracelet spring I I forces the apex of the V into one or other of the grooves III), 0, in the pin, thereby locating the pin in one or other of two positions. When the diabolo member I3 engages with one groove IIb the pin II is in the operative position in which its head I2 will engage with the depending shutter actuating arm 9 and operate it to open the shutter I during rotation of the discs I and Ia. On the other hand, when the diabolo member I3 engages with the other groove He, the pin is in the inoperative position with its head withdrawn out of range of the shutter actuating arm 9 and abutting against the adjacent disc I which acts as a stop for the pin. When the pin is movedaxially from one position to another the rib IId, between the grooves II b, II c, in the pin forces the diabolo member I3 outwardly against the action of the bracelet spring I4 so that it leaves one groove and drops back into the adjacent groove. By means of this construction the single spring It acts to retain all the pins in the position to which they have been set, although any pin can be moved without disturbing the other pins.

In order to set one or other of the pins I I into the operative position in which the head I2 can engage with the shutter operating arm 9, a setting member is provided in the form of a plunger I5 mounted to slide in a tubular gude I6 carried on a bracket II secured to aboss I8 fixed to the spindle 3 carrying the sleeve on'which the discs are mounted, this spindle being, as already stated, fixed in the frame of the machine. The guide l6 for the setting plunger [5 is disposed so that the plunger slides in the direction of the axis of rotation of the discs I and la.

The setting plunger I5 is operated from a particular sensing pin E in the pin box by any suitable means, such means forming no part of the present invention. Preferably, however, the setting plunger is connected to a Bowden cable l9, of which the other end is attached to a plunger which is actuated when the associated sensing pin passes through a hole in a card.

In order to transmit movement from the set ting plunger IE to set the pin ll an intermediate member in the form of a bell crank 20 is provided. This bell crank is pivoted on a lug 2| projecting from the boss l8, carrying the bracket II which supports the guide l6 for the setting plunger l5,--this boss l8, therefore, also serving as a support for the intermediate bell crank member.

One arm of this bell crank 20 projects into the path of the setting plunger l5 and is forced against the plunger by means of a spring 22, the other arm being normally disposed just out of the path of the conical ends lla of the pins ll carried by the discs I and la. When the setting plunger I5 is moved by the associated sensing pin E passing through a hole in a card, the setting plunger l5 pushes one arm of the bell crank 20 against=the action of its spring 22 and brings its other arm into the path of the pins H, (as shown in Fig. 3).

Consequently, as the discs I and la rotate the conical end Ila of one of the pins ll will strike the arm of the bell crank 20 and the pin ll will hence be moved axially unto its operative position by the camming action of its conical end, the diabolomember I3 acting as already described, to locate it in the set position. In this operation, the pressure of the pin comes entirely on the setting member 20 and its pivot, and not at all on the Bowden wire l9, so that the latter is not required to exert any force beyond what is necessary to turn the lever 20 against its returning spring 22.

As the discs I and la rotate, the projecting head l2 of the pin ll which has been set, will sooner or later engage with the depending shutter operating arm 9 and open the shutter l, which after the pin ll has moved past the operating arm 9, will be closed again by its spring The time which elapses between the setting of the pin H and the opening of the shutter I must be equal to the time taken for the card to pass from the sensing pin box to the compartment concerned. In order to provide the necessary delay the-boss l8 supporting the bell crank 20 is set so that while one arm of the bell crank is in the path of the setting plunger l5, the other arm which engages with the settable pins H is so angularly spaced with regard to the shutter operating arm 9 that a pin ll, after being set, will move for the required time before it strikes the shutter operating arm.-

Thus,-although the bosses l8 supporting the bell cranks 2B for the different compartments all have a different angular setting, the setting plungers l5 are all disposed co-axially with their respective discs I and la. Further, in spite of the fact that their supporting bosses l8 have to be set to a. particular position, the bell cranks 20 are simply pivoted to lugs 2| on their bosses l8 and can .be readily removed without disturbing the setting of the bosses. l

In order to reset the pin ll after it has oper-- ated the shutter actuating arm 9, a fixed cam member 23 is provided against which the head l2 of the pin strikes, whereby the pin is pushed back into the inoperative position, the diabolo member l3 acting as before to. locate it in this position.

It should be explained that although the discs I and la are described as carrying six setting pins II, this number is quite arbitrary, but is found to be the most convenient in practice. Whatever the number of pins, however, the speed of the discs must be such that one pin. passes the shutter actuating arm at each card cycle. Thus, where six pins are used the disc's must make one revolution for every six reciprocations of the sensing'pins.

If desired, means may be provided fordealing with one or more unperforated follower cards associated with a perforated key card. In such a case, the compartment is opened by the action of the pin E which sensed the key card, but its closing must be delayed to permit the follower cards to enter also. 1

To this end the shutter actuating arm 9 may be extended as shown for the arm 9a in Fig. 6, the length of the extension depending on whether his required to deal with one or more follower cards. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the arm 90. is of a length capable of dealing with one follower card. The extension causes the arm to remain in engagementiwith the pin ll until two card cycles have occurred, whereby the compartment is maintained open for the required period.

Conveniently, also means may be provided for cutting outof action any individual compartment so that it remains permanently closed. To this end, according to a further feature of the invention, a manually operable cut-out rod 24 may vbe'provided having its lower end 25 forked and straddling the nipple Illa of the cable l9, this nipple being slidably mounted in the boss l6 (Figs. 3 and 4). The nipple l9a may be provided with two collars 26, one on each side of the fork of the cut-out rod. The cut-out rod may he slidable in slots formed in two fixed frame. members 21, 28 of the machine, whereby. it may be moved endwise to cut out the associated compartment. The cut-out rod is formed with a notch 29 adapted to engage with the end -of one of the slots through which the cut-out zmember passesin order to hold it in'the operative position against the tensionof a spring 3| tending to move the rod to its upper position. The movement of the cut-out rod to its upper position causes a cam surface 30 formed thereon to'engage a fixed part of the machine, thereby causing the cut-out rod to move bodily laterally taking with it the nipple l9a by reason of the two collars carried by the latter. Such movements of the nipple removes the end of the cable l9 out of range of the intermediate bell crank 20, so that movements of the cable are no longer transmitted to the settable pins ll carried by the discs I and Id. In a convenient form of this cut-out mechanism, shown in Figs.'3 and 4, the cut-out rod may have its forked portion oifset, the inclined portion 30 acting as a cam or wedge to cause the required movement of the nipple.

' It will be understood that the fact that the spindles 2| carrying the controlling mechanism III according tothe invention are overhung in canti: lever: manner renders it' possible; to;- leave the machine open on one side, it being unnecessaryto provide bearings for the ends of, the spindles as in. previous constructions. Consequently, the fronts of. the compartments are. left unobstructed and the cards can be readily removed. Further, the. card feeding rollers C are. also preferably mounted. on cantilever spindles 32. for the. same purpose.

The cut-out rod 24 for each compartment is preferably mounted 'to slide vertically and provided with a head 24a. at its upper end, whereby it is'rea'dily accessible toithe operator.

The several bearing blocks l8 are set on the spindle 3 in different angular positions and each of them must be adjusted angularly in order to get the right timing. By placing the pin I5. and barrels l 6 inv the axes of the spindles 3, thesevariations of setting and their adjustment arepossible without making any change in the relations of the nipples |9a to the disabling devices 24.

In addition the construction of the controlling mechanism according to the invention, isvery simple and can be adjusted to the required setting for each compartment with great ease.

What I claim is:

1. Mechanism for controlling the shutter of a sorting compartmentin a statistical card sorting machine, comprising a shutter actuating arm, a rotatable disc, a settable shutteroperating member carried on said disc, a setting member adapted to move in the. direction of. the axis of rotation of the disc to set the shutter operating member for engagement with the actuating arm, and an intermediate member disposed to transmit movement from the setting member to the settable shutter operating member, said intermediate member comprising a portion passing through the axis of rotation of the disc and also a second portion having an operating nose. disposed opposite a point on the circumference of the disc angularly spaced from theshutter actuating arm to such an extent that the time taken for the settable member to move round from the nose of the intermediate. member to the shutter actuating arm is equal to the time taken for the card to pass from the analyzing mechanism or the machine to the particular compartment concerned.

2. Mechanism according to claim. 1, wherein the central portion of each pin lyingbetween the discs is formed with two grooves separated by a rib, and each pin is freely surrounded by a hollow member of doubleconical form having its concave surface disposed outwardly while embracing all the double conical members is a bracelet spring substantially in the form of a circle concentric with the discs, whereby when a pin is in the-set position the apex of the respective conical mem ber. engages with one groove, whereas. when. the pinis in the inoperative position, the apex of the cone engages with the other groove, the-bracelet spring yielding to permit forcible axial movement of the pin but having suflicient strength to cause the double conical members to hold their pinsagainst accidental displacement.

3. Mechanism for controlling the shutter ofa sorting compartment in a. statistical card sorting machine, comprising a shutter actuating arm, a pair of rotatable discs, analyzing mechanism for statistical cards, a setting plunger, an operative connection between the setting plunger and a particular analyzing element. in the analyzing mechanism, a. plurality of settable. pins-mounted.

to. slideaxiallyin holes disposed; opposite. to one another in said discs, each of said pins being provided at one end with a head to engage with the shutter actuating arm and at the. other end with a cam formation, a bell crank, a support to which said bell crank is removably pivoted in a position such that one arm of the bell crank abuts against. the setting plunger whilst the other arm is located adjacent the path of the cam ends of the settable pins at'a point in said path spaced angularly from the shutter actuating arm to an extent such that the time taken for a pin to travel from the bell crank arm to the shutter actuating arm is equal to the time taken by a card in passing from the analyzing mechanism to. the compartment concerned, whereby when the setting plunger is operated from the analyzing mechanism, the movement of said plunger projects one arm of the bell crank into the path of: the cam end of one pin and sets it to cause its head to. engage and operate the shutter actuating arm. at the correct moment, and locking means to hold the pins in the set position and in the inoperative position.

4. The invention set forth in claim 1, wherein the shutter actuating arm is of a length such that the settable shutter operating member remains in engagement with the shutter actuating arm for a timesuflicient to hold the shutter open until a plurality of cards has entered the associated compartment. 5. Mechanism for controlling the shutter of a sorting compartment in a statistical card sorting machine, comprising a shutter actuating arm, a pair of rotatable discs, analyzing mechanism for statistical cards, a setting plunger, an operative connection between the setting plunger and a particularanalyzing element in the analyzing mechanism, a plurality of settable pins mounted to.slide axially in holes disposed opposite to one another in said discs, each of said pins being provided at one end with a head to engage with the shutter actuatingarm and at the other end with a cam formation, a bell crank, a support to which said bell crank is removably pivoted in a position such that one arm of the bell crank abuts against the setting plunger whilst the other arm is located adjacent the path of the cam ends of the settable pins at-a point in said path spaced angularly from theshutter actuating arm to an extent'such that the time taken for a pin to travel from the bell crank arm to the shutter actuating arm is equal to the time taken by a card in-passing from the analyzing mechanism to the compartment concerned, whereby when the setting plunger is operated from the analyzing mechanism, the movement of said plunger projects one arm of the bell crank into the path of the cam end of one pin and sets it to cause its head to engage and operate the shutter actuating arm at the correct moment, locking means to hold the pins in the set position and in the inoperative position, and means for disabling the connection between the analyzing element and the setting member whereby the associated compartment is cut out of operation.

6. In a sorting machine having a series of compartments across which cards travel, deflectors individual to said compartments and means for opening said deflectors selectively in timed relation to the travel of the cards, the combination which includes for each compartment a rotary timing disc having deflector-operating pins settable axially therein, a setting member normally out of the orbitof said' pins but movable radially into said orbit and acting when so moved as a fixed abutment against which the next on-coming pin acts and by its motion cams itself to set position, said setting members being disposed in different angular positions about the axes of their respective discs so as to give in each instance the appropriate timing.

7. The combination of a series of timing discs each having a plurality of settable devices, fixed spindles on which said discs are journaled, a bearing piece fast on the end of each said spindle and rotatively difierentially settable thereon, a setting member for said settable devices pivoted in each said piece and having a part thereof lying substantially in the axis of its spindle, and an operating member for each said setting member located in the axis of said spindle, whereby said bearing piece and said setting member may be set rotatively to any desired position without changing the operative relation of the latter to said operating member, the setting of each bearing block and setting member determining the timing.

8. In a card-sorting machine having sensing mechanism, and a compartment controlling shutter, the combination which includes a rotatable timing device having a settable member for operating the shutter, means including a setting member for setting said settable member, a Bowden cable included in connection from said sensing mechanism to said setting member, and means settable by hand to withdraw the end of said Bowden cable endwise from said setting member in order to disable said setting member and thereby to prevent cards from entering the associated compartment.

9. In a card-sorting machine having sensing mechanism, card-receiving compartments, and shutters for said compartments, the combination which includes rotating timing devices associated with the several shutters and each carrying settable members, devices for setting said settable members, each said device adjustable rotatively about the axis of its associated rotating device, a Bowden cable constituting a connection to each setting device from the sensing mechanism, said cable having its end co-axial with the axis of rotation of said rotating device, and individual disabling devices acting on said cables, whereby each said setting device may be adjusted without disturbing its relation to its disabling device.

10. In a shutter-operating mechanism of a sorting machine having sensing mechanism, the combination of a fixed cantilever spindle, a timed rotary disc journaled on said spindle and having settable shutter-controlling members, a setting device mounted on a carrier which carrier is fast on and adjustable rotatively about the end of said spindle, and a Bowden cable controlled by the sensing mechanism of the machine for controlling said setting device, said cable mounted on said carrier acting on said setting device axially of said spindle, whereby adjustment of said carrier does not afiect the relation of said cable to said setting device.

ARTHUR THOMAS. 

